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Oehlers, Sir George Edward Noel (b.1 April 1908,
Singapore - d.27 October 1968, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia),
better known as Geno Oehlers, was the first Speaker
of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore. Oehlers was in
several significant civic posts such as Municipal
Commissioner and Chairman of the Public Utilities Board. A
lawyer by training and profession, he was made an Officer of
the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1953. In 1958, he
became the first Eurasian in Singapore to be knighted.

Early LifeOehlers was born to the family of George Rae
Oehlers and Francis Maude Clarke. He received his early
education at St Andrew's School and Raffles Institution,
where he was Head Prefect from 1927 to 1928. In 1928, he
left for England to read law, and was called to the English
Bar at Gray's Inn in 1931.

Legal Career
Oehlers returned to Singapore and was called to the Singapore
Bar on 2 March 1932. He started his legal career as an
assistant with the law firm Claude Da Silver, and rose to
become partner. During the Japanese Occupation, he went into
solo practice until the Kempeitai captured him in
February 1944. After the war, Oehlers resumed his legal
practice as partner of Da Silva, Oehlers & Choa. When da
Silver retired from the partnership a year later, Oehlers was
made senior partner and the firm was renamed Oehlers &
Choa.

Civic Contributions
In 1936, Oehlers was made Municipal Commissioner, and he
served in that capacity until the Second World War in
1941. He was reappointed in 1947. When the City
Council was established, Oehlers sat as a nominated member
until 1954, when he stepped down from the role in view of his
impending appointment as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
in 1955. Oehlers served two terms as Speaker of the
Legislative Assembly from 1955 to 1963. From 1963 to 1964, he
became the Speaker for the Sabah Legislative Assembly and
also helped to set up the Sabah Legislative Assembly. In
1963, Oehlers was also appointed as Chairman of the Public
Utilities Board. In 1965, Tunku Abdul Rahman invited Oehlers
to form and head the Industrial Arbitration Tribunal in Kuala
Lumpur. The tribunal was subsequently known as the
Industrial Court.

In the course of his civic career, Oehlers had also
contributed to the work of various committees such as the
Raffles Museum and Library Committee, the Silver Jubilee Fund
Committee, the Advisory Committee (T.B. Treatment Allowances)
and the Queen's Scholarship Board. For his outstanding
contributions, Oehlers was made an Officer of the Order of
the British Empire (OBE) in 1953, and was knighted on 15 July
1958.

Other Contributions
During the late 1940s to the early 1950s, Oehlers was
president of the Eurasian Association. However, he gave
up his involvement with the Eurasian Association due to his
heavy commitment as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Oehlers was also a talented sportsman and
was particularly adept at long jump, cricket, football,
volleyball, and hockey. During his younger days,
Oehlers headed both the Singapore and South Malayan hockey
teams, and was made President of the Singapore Hockey
Association from 1946 to 1965, and Vice-president of the
Malaysian Hockey Association from 1965 to 1968. Oehlers was
also one of the founding members of the Singapore Olympic and
Sports Council. Oehlers served as the President of the
Singapore Recreation Club from 1955 to 1965, and was
instrumental in opening the club to non-Eurasians.

Oehlers passed away in Kuala Lumpur on 27 October
1968.

Family
Oehlers married Daphne Eleanor Pye on 20 April 1940.
They had five children: Jillian, Lynnette, Harry, John,
and Catharine. Daphne Eleanor Pye passed away on 15
April 1960, and Oehlers remarried on July 1965 to Annie (Nan)
Tessensohn née Flynn, a widow.

The information in this article
is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to
ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an
exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please
contact the Library for further reading materials on the
topic.